In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Houghton community celebrated its local first responders and healthcare workers. On April 15, 2020, around seventy vehicles lined up to form a parade, whose route passed two healthcare facilities near the college: the Houghton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (HNRC) and Houghton Universal Primary Care (UPC), both located on Luckey Drive.
The event was initiated by Patricia Barber, administrator at HNRC, who contacted the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce about showing appreciation for their employees. As a member of the Chamber of Commerce board, the college’s community engagement director Phyllis Gaerte led the coordination. According to Gaerte, Barber’s request cited employees’ “around the clock” work to protect HNRC residents: “They are a great bunch of staff members and I just want to show them that the community is behind them 100%.” The group of organizations involved in the event included Houghton College, Houghton Academy, 3 Bums Pizza, Houghton Wesleyan Church, and the Houghton Volunteer Fire Department.
The parade included personal vehicles decorated with signs and balloons, as well as emergency vehicles, the Houghton Academy school bus, and a college Highlanders bus. As vehicles lined up behind Houghton Wesleyan Church and the college facilities building next door, Gaerte observed that more people were arriving than initially expected. The final line that proceeded towards the healthcare facilities started at the entrance of Houghton Wesleyan and ended with many cars in the fire hall lot. Two police cars blocked traffic on Route 19 for several minutes so that the procession could safely move forward.
In addition to the parade, healthcare workers were thanked with free pizzas, wings, and subs delivered by 3 Bums on the same day.
Gaerte’s invitation to the event, posted publicly on the Houghton Wesleyan Facebook page, advised adherence to social distancing regulations – specifically that all participants should remain in their vehicles at all times. Nonetheless, event attendees expressed appreciation for the opportunity to see friends in person, even if from a distance. (Familiar faces in the parade included Profs. Young, Gaerte, Zoller, and Freytag, women’s soccer coach Nikki Elsaesser, and Pastor Wes Oden, among many other community members.)College physician Dr. David Brubaker works at the UPC health center; he was unable to attend the event due to a class he was teaching, but thanked the college, Houghton Wesleyan, 3 Bums, and the Houghton VFD for “putting on this very thoughtful and encouraging event.” He added, “in the midst of a situation that has caused uncertainty and has required significant adjustments for everyone in the community, I’m thankful for the flexibility and support [UPC staff] have felt as we have navigated changes to our workflow. I’m grateful too for the ways in which people have embraced the efforts to slow the spread of the virus; I think it has made a big difference.” He also expressed gratitude towards members of the local health department, “who have been working tirelessly to care for the people of this county and to support local medical providers.”